Authorities are searching for three inmates who escaped through the ventilation system of an Oklahoma jail. The fugitives stole two pickup trucks, one with a loaded gun inside, police say.
On Friday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on their Facebook page that Brian Allen Moody, 23, Sonny Baker, 41, and Mark Dwayne Robbins, 23, all escaped from the county jail through an air conditioner vent around 11:26 pm Thursday.
Before their breakout, the inmates came down from the vents into a work area to ditch their prison uniforms. Police found a pair of shoes, a couple of striped tops, and a pair of striped bottoms outside the jail. Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty says that it’s not uncommon for inmates to change their clothes when they escape.
“They’re not running around here naked now. They wear gym shorts, or they’ll buy sweats off commissary or something like that,” Dougherty told local news affiliate, KOKO.
The sheriff’s office later released descriptions of two pickup trucks that were reported stolen within a mile of the jail. Police believe the inmates stole the trucks, one of which contained credit cards and a Glock .40-caliber pistol that was "loaded and ready to go to work," Dougherty told KOKO.
One of the stolen credit cards was reported to be used in the Midwest City area about 50 miles southwest of the jail at 3:15 am Friday morning. Dougherty says police are still not sure if the trio is traveling together or separately.
Police in Midwest City say they have checked various addresses associated with the escapees, but they have not been able to locate them or the trucks, KOKO reported.
The sheriff’s department has teamed up with the Drug and Violent Task Force to investigate the escape Dougherty told KOKO. Together, they are questioning family members and the 21 other inmates that were in the same pod as the three escaped prisoners.
Police say there is no evidence the inmates had any help with their escape, however, Dougherty notes that they are still at the beginning of the investigation.
All three men were incarcerated for felony property crimes, but Dougherty says that they do not have a history of violence.
“They’re thieves - they like to steal cars,” Dougherty told KOKO. “These guys have never showed any kind of violence before, but scared people do crazy things.”